Hoag the First in Orange County to Specialize in Pituitary Tumors

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – September 4, 2014 – Hoag Neurosciences Institute and Hoag Family Cancer Institute today announced
they have recruited Robert G. Louis, M.D., from the John Wayne Cancer
Institute in Santa Monica to become the only fellowship trained skull-base
and pituitary specialist in Orange County. Dr. Louis is being named Program
Advisor to Hoag’s Pituitary Program.

“If you have been diagnosed with a pituitary tumor, it is important
to be treated by a physician who specializes in these complex disorders,”
Dr. Louis said. “I look forward to joining the Hoag team in delivering
the most advanced treatment for pituitary tumors.”

The pituitary gland is the size of a pea – but its importance is
enormous. Located at the base of the brain, the “master gland,”
creates a laundry list of hormones and regulates the activities of other
endocrine glands. A tumor on this tiny gland can cause problems as severe
as diabetes, vision problems and gigantism.

While pituitary tumors occur in up to 20% of people, tumors requiring
treatment occur less frequently and often are not diagnosed. When they
are diagnosed, these tumors require expert care. The importance of a trained
specialist cannot be overstated, the neurosurgeon said.

“The pituitary gland is delicate and can be damaged during surgery.
It is therefore essential that surgery be done by a neurosurgeon with
a high degree of training,” said Michael Brant-Zawadzki, M.D., F.A.C.R,
The Ron and Sandi Simon Endowed Chair, Executive Medical Director, Hoag
Neurosciences Institute. “We are looking forward to working with
Dr. Louis and offering his level of expertise to our patients.”

The son of two teachers from suburban Boston, Dr. Louis said he hopes
to offer talks to primary care physicians in Orange County to help educate
them about pituitary disorders that often go unrecognized and undiagnosed.

Some patients who are experiencing hypertension, low thyroid, diabetes
and a host of other ailments may be suffering from a pituitary tumor that
is either suppressing the gland, compressing the surrounding brain tissue
or causing an over-secretion of a particular hormone. In many cases, a
simple blood test can rule out – or uncover – the presence
of a pituitary tumor. But physicians don’t always remember that
such tests are in their tool kit .
“Functional tumors are often misdiagnosed,” Dr. Louis said.
“Even the best physicians and specialists can miss them because
pituitary tumors make up such a small percentage of what they see.”

Dr. Louis completed his residency training in neurological surgery at
the University of Virginia, one of the top centers for pituitary tumors
in the world. During his six years at UVA, he completed more than 1,200
cases, including complex brain tumor, skull base and pituitary surgery.

After completing his Chief Residency in neurosurgery, Dr. Louis went on
to more advanced subspecialty training, completing a fellowship in Minimally
Invasive Neurosurgery at the John Wayne Cancer Institute. Dr. Louis is
one of only a handful of fellowship-trained minimally invasive neurosurgeons
in the nation and the only one in Orange County with this distinction.
He describes treating functional tumors as “really rewarding.”

“We’ll see people who have been suffering from undiagnosed
tumors for 8 or 9 years, they’ve gained 100 pounds, they’ve
lost muscle, bone,” Dr. Louis said. “We take out a tumor that
is 3 millimeters in diameter, and all of a sudden they’re living
a normal life.”

In addition to his expertise, Dr. Louis is bringing new minimally invasive
brain surgery technology to Orange County, including a Neuro Doppler,
which uses sound waves to measure the velocity of blood flow through the
arteries of the brain – a vital tool for determining how to approach
tumor removal. He is also bringing the NICO BrainPath technology, which
combines a GPS system in the brain with a minimal access port to give
neurosurgeons the ability to move through the natural folds of the brain
safely and precisely when performing minimally invasive neurosurgery.
Dr. Louis said he hopes to inspire donors to fund additional equipment
to improve patient outcomes.

Dr. Louis is a member of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons
(AANS), Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), North American Skull
Base Society (NASBS), Foundation for International Education in Neurosurgery
(FIENS) and the American Association of Clinical Anatomists (AACA). He
leads multidisciplinary neurosurgical teams on relief efforts to Tanzania,
and was recognized for his efforts in 2011 with the prestigious American
Association of Neurological Surgeons YNC Public Service Citation for outstanding
humanitarian relief efforts in Africa.

About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery
network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 24,000 inpatients
and 362,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals,
six health centers, and six urgent care centers. Hoag Hospital Newport
Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine,
which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend
of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized
services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences,
women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate,
Hoag Orthopedic Institute. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with
St. Joseph Health to further expand health care services in the Orange
County community, known as St. Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named
one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report
Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange
County’s most preferred hospital for the past 18 consecutive years
and, for an unprecedented 18 years, residents of Orange County have chosen
Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey.
Visit www.hoag.org for more information.